Abstract
Rhodium films were vapor deposited on TiO[sub 2](001) rutile and examined in situ at various coverages and following various annealing procedures by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Rh deposition at ambient temperature leads to STM images that indicate nucleation and growth of three-dimensional particles. The particles have a narrow size distribution centered around 30 A with an aspect ratio of 0.3 and are not arranged with long-range order. AES results corroborate the film thickness measured by STM. Annealing in vacuum decreases both the Rh/Ti Auger intensity ratio and the number density of particles, indicating particle coalescence at the onset of surface diffusion. Simultaneously, the apparent included volume of the particle film increases, an effect that is consistent with Rh particle encapsulation but may also be due to tip convolution. The utility of STM in morphologic characterization of oxide-supported metal particles, such as those found in catalysts and gas sensors, is demonstrated. 53 refs., 8 figs.
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